Category Archives: What’s Up

*Sounds like music legend Madonna is starting to feel her age. Oh not in the way that she’s admitting to any aches and pains associated with getting older; but more like what it feels like to be treated as ‘less than’ or ‘not as good as,’ or ‘not holding the same value as.’ I mean, can you imagine someone referring to Madonna as an ‘old broad?’ She can’t! So she broached the topic of ageism in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, and in doing so, compared it to racism and homophobia.

“It’s still the one area where you can totally discriminate against somebody and talk shit,” the 56-year-old pop singer said. “Because of their age. Only females, though. Not males. So in that respect, we still live in a very sexist society.”

*As if being a person of African descent living in American doesn’t give us enough to contend with, now we are seriously entertaining the whole black vs. African American “comparison” and what this means when it comes to describing ourselves with how white people feel about it in mind. Seriously? We get the whole reality about black-sounding names like LaKisha Jones or Shanequa Brown and how those names vs. Patty Smith may lose you an interview, and now, because of this, people are (supposedly) giving their kids less black-sounding names. As if that’s going to put an end to the latent racism that rears its ugly head at any available opportunity — no matter what you do.

Yet the “studies” continue. This latest one done by Emory University shows that whites reacted very differently to questions posed about how people of color describe themselves. And what they came up with is that being identified as “black,” as opposed to “African American,” brought about vastly different responses. Negatives one. Responses that highlighted the harsh reality that it’s not just visual cues that can activate latent racism.

*When republican Gene Alday, a member of the Mississippi state legislature, made news because of his very public statement to the media that African-Americans in his hometown of Walls, Mississippi, are unemployed and on food stamps, he was basically ‘talking out the side of his neck.’

“I come from a town where all the blacks are getting food stamps and what I call ‘welfare crazy checks,'” Alday said to a reporter for The Clarion-Ledger, a Mississippi newspaper, earlier this month. “They don’t work.”

Gene Alday

According to 2013 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, on a national level, most of the people who receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are white. The USDA administers the program, and stats reveal 40.2 percent of SNAP recipients are white, 25.7 percent are black, 10.3 percent are Hispanic, 2.1 percent are Asian and 1.2 percent are Native American. Continue reading →

*The Ailey organization proudly continues its mission of using dance to educate, inspire and entertain people of all ages. Now, with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater on its way to L.A. as they embark upon their North American tour, the troupe is giving public school students the opportunity to experience residencies via the legendary Alvin Ailey American masterpiece, “Revelations,” not only the best known and most often seen modern dance performance, but an innovative curriculum-based initiative designed to inspire students to study language arts, social studies and dance in depth.

The residency is being sponsored by The Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation, and Ailey Arts in Education Programs in Los Angeles will have residencies at two schools – Glenn Hammond Curtiss Middle School and Rancho Dominguez Preparatory School from March 9th – 13th. All expenses will be paid by the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation through a gift from the Glorya Kaufman Dance Foundation.

*It appears the right-wing conservatives are at it again. This time messing with Erica Garner, whose father died in a choke-hold at the hands of a New York City police officer who was never charged. Garner says comments she made about Rev. Al Sharpton in a video released by conservative activist James O’Keefe‘s Project Veritas were “taken out of context, edited and released to partisan outlets for nefarious reasons.” The video was published by the New York Posttoday, with a story titled, “Garner’s Kid On Sharpton: He’s all About The Money.”

Erica Garner released an exclusive statement to NewsOne, where she states the Post article “used them [her comments] to sow discord and confusion among a peaceful and unified movement.” Continue reading →

(LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – February 22, 2015)–In honor of Black History Month entrepreneur Onyxx Monopoly presents “When Africa Met France: Creole Was Born” – a formal evening of fine Creole cuisine and culture. The evening will include LIVE music with a portion of the proceeds going to ‘Bridge to Home’ – a homeless shelter and non-profit organization that once helped the entrepreneur in her own time of need. Monopoly is moved, even today, when she speaks of the shelter.

“I want to give back to ‘Bridge to Home’ because they helped me tremendously in my time of need; and they help dozens of people each and every day. I want to show my appreciation for all that they do to help people get back on their feet,” Monopoly offers.

A special toast to legendary director and actor, Bill Duke, will also be a part of the evening. Recognized for his courageous attempts to approach colorism and provide a global analysis from which conversations can spring, Duke directed the documentaries “Dark Girls” and “Light Girls,” which had its world premier on OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network. Both documentaries explore skin color from multiple perspectives such as historical, sociological, psychological and scientific; and shows the continuous impact of African American skin color and tone on many areas and issues still prevalent in society today.

A topic of great concern in the black community, a bevy of celebrities participated in the “Dark Girls” and “Light Girls” documentaries including journalist Soledad O’Brien, actresses Diahann Carroll, Kym Whitley and Salli Richardson-Whitfield; singer India Arie, and author, television host and life-coach Iyanla Vanzant and others.

Monopoly was also featured in “Light Girls.”

Monopoly has been holding her tasty tradition down since 2007. The former Utah resident says there absolutely is an African American community in the state known mainly for its Mormon philosophy and beams, “and we all know each other!” She was inspired to keep this event going because she loves getting family and friends together around a great, homemade meal. “I love making gumbo not only for the flavor but because of all of the ingredients that create something so beautiful.

With gumbo I can add ingredients from all of my cultures and share it with all of my family and friends. I enjoy the diversity of gumbo and the people who enjoy eating it with me,” says Monopoly.

Onyxx says though the gumbo will be prepared by 5-star award-winning chef Philip Christodoulou, and the tasty Beignets dessert by French pastry chef, Christian Boinard, the recipes are her own.

When Onyxx Monopoly made her move to Los Angeles, she placed her background in consulting and real estate on hold and started working in radio, where her talk show on L. A. Live hit a nerve with her audience and helped solidify her moniker, Hooked on Onyxx.

The mother of seven children (including a set of six-year-old twins and a 2-year-old!), says “When Africa Met France” is an adult-only event, but guests can expect the food to be served “family-style.”

“When Africa Met France” takes place at 8p.m. on Saturday, February 28, 2015 at The Renaissance Restaurant, 5930 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, CA. 90028. Tickets are $150.00 per person and can be purchased at Onyxx Unlimited or visit: onyxxunlimited.brownpapertickets.com/

*Oh haven’t you had those daydreams that you would be there to witness the karma of the person who was rude to you on the train, or bus, in traffic or on the job? You just want to see it turn around in their face…and you want them to see you seeing it happen. Well if this describes any part of you, this story should give you some relief.

Matt Buckland got the last laugh after a dude on the train told him to go f**k himself.

Apparently, Buckland moved aside on the train to let someone else off, but the man thought he was getting in his way so he started pushing and shoving.

Matt told Buzzfeed: ‘I explained I was getting off too but he pushed past and then looked back and suggested I might like to go fuck myself’.

But here’s where it gets good folks.

You never know when you might run into the object of your anger. Buckland was conducting an interview later that day, and guess who turned up? Continue reading →

*We know how hard it is to get a job these days. Just ask most unemployed people. People with a job say things like, “Just go get a job at Target?” As if you can ever down-play your multiple skillset to the point that they’d believe you can be counted on…once you get “over this rough spot.” Well, imagine having a disability and looking for a job. Ever imagine how hard that must be? Which makes the compassion shown by a movie theater in Connecticut stand out from the rest. They took the extra step and actually gave these applicants the opportunity to show their skills, and now its really paying off. The nonprofit movie theater is committed to giving people with physical or developmental disabilities an opportunity to succeed in the workforce.

More than half of the staff at the Prospector Theater in Ridgefield, are people with disabilities.

“It’s an incredibly talented pool,” Mike Santini, director of development for the organization told The Huffington Post. “They’re an untapped resource. They’re really excited about their jobs, and they’re really dedicated. They just need a workplace that’s accommodating and welcoming.” Continue reading →